Fecha de publicación: -- Fuente: PubMed "olive oil" Food Res Int. 2026 Dec 1;245(Pt 4):121005. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2026.121005. Epub 2026 Oct 16.ABSTRACTRio Grande do Sul (RS), southern Brazil, accounts for approximately 75% of national olive oil production and encompasses diverse edaphoclimatic conditions. This study employed targeted metabolomics using LC-DAD-APCI-qTOF-MS to comprehensively characterize pigment profiles of extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) from Arbequina and Koroneiki cultivars produced in three regions of RS. Thirteen pigments were annotated, of which nine were quantified. Pheophytin-a (64% of total quantified pigments), (all-E)-lutein (19%), and (all-E)-β-carotene (16%) predominated. (all-E)-zeaxanthin, representing less than 1.5% of total pigments, was detected in both cultivars and, to the best of our knowledge, is reported here for the first time in southern Brazilian olive oil. Although both cultivars exhibited similar qualitative profiles, Arbequina oils contained significantly higher concentrations of minor xanthophylls, particularly (all-E)-violaxanthin, (all-E)-antheraxanthin, and (all-E)-zeaxanthin. Principal component analysis revealed cultivar-associated differences, with some overlap between samples, indicating incomplete separation between cultivars. Significant regional differences were observed only in Koroneiki oils: (all-E)-zeaxanthin concentrations were higher in western and central regions than in the eastern region, whereas pheophytin-a concentrations were higher in the western than in the eastern region. These differences were accompanied by variations in oil lightness (L*). Overall, these findings highlight the relevance of minor xanthophylls for characterizing pigment variability in southern Brazilian EVOOs and their potential as cultivar- and geographical origin-associated markers, although further validation is required.PMID:42967770 | DOI:10.1016/j.foodres.2026.121005